Obama Budget = Record Deficit, and Yes, Drama

President Obama is known for his mantra of "no drama.'' But proposing a budget of $3.55 trillion, with an expected deficit of $1.75 trillion is going to result in a headache or two, for the new president, don't you think? The good news is it looks like universal health care may actually happen one day soon. The bad news is it's going cost. BIG!

You are absolutely right. The cost is BIG. What's driving this cost is the fact that we have left millions of Americans without health insurance for a long time; allowed insurance companies to run amok by eliminating much needed checks and balances through deregulation, cutting services, and driving up costs, making coverage inaccessible to those who need it the most.

There is much talk about those without insurance. We also need to bring attention to those who are under-insured. Each year, the middle section of this country watch premiums rise and services dwindle.

Amid this dismal picture, what I find hopeful is that President Obama is reviewing programs in order to cut waste and eliminate those programs that do not work. The monies that will be freed up from reckless spending of the previous administration will now be used to pay for programs that do work -- like quality health care.

Val
West Hartford

THE STAN SIMPSON SHOW

Stan Simpson is an award-winning columnist at The Hartford Courant and a former radio talk show host at WTIC NewsTalk 1080 ...read more